Chen Xiaobei chuckled, "Everything is as you say."
Seeing Chen Xiaobei agree, Liu Rumei was also very pleased; it was a sign of respect for her.
The next morning, Hetou Village was exceptionally busy. Chen Dayong divided the people into several groups. One group continued to burn charcoal.
The rest were assigned to assist Chen Xiaobei with storing the cabbages. After all, stacking them seven or eight zhang high was a significant physical undertaking.
Chen Xiaowen also demonstrated leadership skills, dividing the transport team into groups. One group delivered cabbages to Xiaojia Town, while another delivered both cabbages and charcoal to the county town.
Additionally, he gathered a few people to prepare gifts to accompany the elder to Cuijiazhuang.
Hetou Village, with its one to two hundred households and five to six hundred people, was simultaneously engaged in several tasks. The entire village was galvanized, and in the cold winter, it presented a scene of bustling activity and fervent energy.
Just as Chen Xiaobei, along with Liu Ziming, Liu Ziliang, and dozens of villagers, was preparing to head outside the village to store cabbages, shouts were heard from behind, "Little Brother Xiaobei, Brother Xiaobei."
Turning around, he saw Chen Dachun approaching. After these days of practice, Chen Dachun could now discard his crutches and walk freely, appearing no different from an ordinary person.
Coming up to Chen Xiaobei, Chen Dachun said with a smile, "Brother Xiaobei, will you take me along? Look, I've mostly recovered."
Chen Xiaobei was startled. This wasn't a leisurely outing; it was hard labor. On such a high cliff, it required immense strength to haul cabbages up. It wasn't an easy task. If it were before his accident, Chen Dachun would have been indispensable, but now that he had just recovered, he was still fragile.
With this thought, Chen Xiaobei tactfully said, "Brother Dachun, now that you've recovered, don't rush into heavy work. Gradually get used to things. By the way, Xiaowen is getting married. You could help out with the preparations."
Chen Dachun rubbed his nose and looked around, appearing hesitant to speak.
Seeing this, Chen Xiaobei knew he had something to say. He waved to Liu Ziming, Liu Ziliang, and the others. "Alright, you guys go ahead. I'll meet you at the cabbage field."
Once they had all gone, Chen Xiaobei turned to him. "Brother Dachun, what is it you want to say? Please, speak freely."
Chen Dachun nodded. "Brother Xiaobei, there's something I've been holding onto for a long time."
"Xiaowen is about to get married, and I can see he won't be able to manage this work for a while. Why not hand over the transport team to me..."
Chen Dachun stopped mid-sentence, and Chen Xiaobei fell silent. Chen Xiaobei understood Chen Dachun's intentions all too well. Chen Dachun was concerned about his reputation.
Chen Xiaowen came from a poor family in the village, only slightly better off than Chen Xiaobei's own. Now, with the Prince's endorsement, he was marrying a beautiful woman and had become the village's transport captain. While this wasn't a significant official position, it was still a title in the eyes of the villagers. One could say he had achieved both love and career success.
Chen Xiaobei then thought of Chen Dachun's earnest desire to marry Qiumei. The thought immediately prompted him to change the subject, asking, "By the way, Brother Dachun, how are things going with you and Sister-in-law Qiumei?"
Hearing this, Chen Dachun sighed softly. "Alas, Brother Xiaobei, it's for this very reason I've come to discuss it with you. You know, I'm marrying Qiumei as a second wife, but it's a legitimate marriage, not concubinage."
"He became the transport captain and received a congratulatory gift from His Highness the Prince, so he's gained both fame and fortune.
"As for me, I don't expect His Highness the Prince to even offer his congratulations. If I can become a transport captain, at least I'll have something to show Qiumei."
After Chen Dachun's words, Chen Xiaobei's expression turned bitter. He suddenly realized he had made a mistake regarding Chen Xiaowen's wedding.
It was a significant error. To help Chen Xiaowen marry Mudan quickly, he had specifically arranged for people to organize a transport team and appointed Chen Xiaowen as its captain.
This situation had now arisen: everyone was coming to him for official positions. He was sure that more people shared Chen Dachun's aspirations.
Dachun dared to come to him because they were close. How many others, who hadn't spoken up, had the same idea?
Ultimately, this issue boiled down to one thing: Chen Xiaowen lacked authority. Everyone saw him as a child and didn't believe he could manage the transport team effectively.
However, what use was an explanation in such a situation? As the saying goes, the more you explain, the weaker your position becomes; the more you try to cover up, the worse it looks.
But no matter how you spin it, with hundreds of people in Hetou Village, they couldn't all be given official titles just for the sake of a wedding.
With this in mind, he sighed slightly. "Brother Dachun, I understand what you're saying, but you know our village only has a few hundred people. I can't possibly grant official titles to everyone."
Chen Dachun shook his head nonchalantly. "Brother Xiaobei, what's wrong with that? Since we have a transport team, can't the group collecting cabbages be considered a team? And the people helping with Xiaowen's wedding can also be a team, right? All these teams need captains!"
Chen Dachun's suggestion made Chen Xiaobei both amused and exasperated. It was like wholesale distribution of captaincies. All it took was a casual word from him to establish new teams in the village.
Moreover, in such a scenario, Hu Fan from the county would certainly not object. In Hetou Village, only he, as the village head, and Chen Dayong, the village security captain, received official salaries from the county.
All other positions were his own arrangements, referred to in popular terms as "temporary staff."
With this thought, Chen Xiaobei spoke again. "Brother Dachun, establishing these teams is not a problem, but think about it. If everyone in the village becomes an official and a captain, how will other villages and people from the county view us?"
"To reassure you, when Magistrate Hu Fan visited last time, he mentioned that His Highness the Prince had issued a special decree. For any wedding in Hetou Village, Magistrate Hu would represent the Prince and present a congratulatory gift."
Hearing this, a hint of a smile finally appeared in Chen Dachun's eyes.
"Alright, then that's how it will be for now. However, Brother Xiaobei, please reconsider what I said. It's not just for my sake, but for all the young people in our Hetou Village!"
Chen Dachun was truly skilled at negotiation. His own proposal was framed as if it were for the benefit of the village's youth.
After bidding farewell to Chen Dachun, Chen Xiaobei felt a sense of discouragement.
If he refused Chen Dachun's request, the latter would surely harbor some resentment. After all, Chen Dachun had previously served as the village security captain, and Chen Xiaobei was not assigning him any new official position.
But honestly, it was difficult to make any further arrangements.